Daily Waffle #84 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Saturday, May 23, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #84
6 words hide in this 5×5 grid. You get 15 swaps, and the best solve takes 10.
Want one more try first? Play #84.
Hints for each word in #84
Tap one hint at a time. The clue comes first. Then you get the first and last letters. The word shows only when you tap the last button.
Word 1: the top row (row 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a grant made by a law court
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with D.
Show the word
AWARD
Word 2: the middle row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person (after the cartoon character created by Sir David Low)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with B and ends with P.
Show the word
BLIMP
Word 3: the bottom row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: the part of the leg between the hip and the knee
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with H.
Show the word
THIGH
Word 4: the left column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: the superior of an abbey of monks
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with T.
Show the word
ABBOT
Word 5: the middle column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: (law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with I.
Show the word
ALIBI
Word 6: the right column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: the extent downward or backward or inward
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with D and ends with H.
Show the word
DEPTH
What is the answer to Waffle #84?
The answer is 6 words that fit together in one grid. Tap below to see all of them. This puzzle has only one answer, so if your words differ, a letter is still in the wrong place.
Show the full answer grid
Across: AWARD, BLIMP, THIGH
Down: ABBOT, ALIBI, DEPTH
How do you solve #84 in 10 swaps?
Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 6 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.
Show every swap
- Swap row 1, column 5 with row 2, column 1. This puts D and B in place.
- Swap row 3, column 4 with row 5, column 3. This puts M and I in place.
- Swap row 4, column 1 with row 5, column 2. This puts O and H in place.
- Swap row 1, column 2 with row 2, column 3. This puts W in place.
- Swap row 2, column 3 with row 5, column 5. This puts L and H in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 1, column 4. This puts R in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 2, column 5. This puts A and E in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 4, column 5. This puts T in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 3, column 5. This puts P in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 5, column 4. This puts L and G in place.
What do the words in #84 mean?
- AWARD
- noun: a grant made by a law court
- BLIMP
- noun: any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person (after the cartoon character created by Sir David Low)
- THIGH
- noun: the part of the leg between the hip and the knee
- ABBOT
- noun: the superior of an abbey of monks
- ALIBI
- noun: (law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question
- DEPTH
- noun: the extent downward or backward or inward
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Saturday, May 23, 2026.